The Notorious Old Surrey, Burstow and West Kent fox hunt killed a fox at the last meet of their season yesterday. The hunt met at the Landhurst Estate and the neighbouring Culver Farm, Hartfield, just east of East Grinstead, Sussex and were being monitored by local hunt saboteur groups.

During the afternoon the hounds, encouraged by huntsman Mark Bycroft, hunted and killed a fox. The hounds took 3 large chunks out of the fox; to the chest, the side and the hind quarter. Sabs recovered the fox, which was still alive, and scrambled to get the fox to a vet. One of the sabs present was a vet, who rushed to examine the fox and try and save its life. The fox died about fifteen minutes after the sabs first picked him up. The fox has now gone for autopsy in London, to get documented proof that death was caused by hounds.

Also during the day hunt saboteurs experienced violence from the hunt and their supporters including having their land rover pushed into a ditch by a tractor. Again the police refused to investigate this dangerous and reckless driving.

Lee Moon, Spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association, stated: “The Old Surrey and Burstow are notorious both for illegal hunting and violence against saboteurs. It is typical that on the final meet of the season hunts are desperate to kill and huntsman Mark Bycroft proved this today. We hope that Sussex police investigate these crimes but previous experience suggests this won't be the case and they will instead close ranks to protect their hunting chums. Well done to these sabs who did everything possible to save this fox despite being on the receiving end of violence from the hunt. Our thoughts today also go out to the two League against Cruel Sports investigators who were viciously attacked and robbed by the Belvoir hunt in Leicestershire.”

Masked up supporters of the Ross Harriers hunt attacked a vehicle belonging to hunt saboteurs yesterday, smashing the rear window and showering the passengers in glass. The police are investigating and have retrieved the weapon used in the attack.

The hunt had met at the Red Lion pub in Peterstow and were being monitored by members of South Wales Hunt Saboteurs as well as other local groups. The hunt had been illegally hunting foxes throughout the day but their attempts to kill had been thwarted. As the day drew to a close increasingly angry support took their frustration out on the sabs. Two masked up men left the main body of hunt supporters and ran up behind the sab landrover and used a metal bar to smash the rear window. They then fled the scene in a vehicle. The police were immediately called and are investigating the incident.

Lee Moon, press spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association, stated: "The timing of this attack is ironic as the Countryside Alliance are once again bleating on about hunt saboteurs wearing masks. Time and again we see that the only masked up thugs in the countryside are those following the hunts. There is hard evidence in this case of a violent, unprovoked attack and we look forward to a swift resolution to the police investigation. Hunters head out with the intention of illegally chasing and killing wildlife and when their efforts are thwarted they take their frustrations out on those that have stopped them. Violence against sabs has been going on for decades but as the hunts now it doesn't deter us, rather it makes us more determined to get out there and stop them killing.”

The Meynell and South Staffordshire hunt illegally chased and killed a fox today during their meet near Draycott-in-the-Clay, Staffordshire. The incident was filmed by members of Nottingham Hunt Saboteurs who managed to get the dead fox away from the hounds. The body of the fox as well as video of the kill have been handed to Staffordshire Police who are investigating the crime.

The hunt had been repeatedly hunting their hounds through the same area of woodland for most of the day. There was no evidence that a trail had been laid yet their hounds kept going into cry (picking up the scent of a fox). The hunt staff made no attempt to remove the hounds from the woodland but instead encouraged them to hunt the scent. They eventually caught the fox late in the afternoon and the sabs present were unable to stop the kill.

Members of the hunt were found guilty of illegal hunting in 2012 after being filmed by hunt saboteurs. They were the first hunt in the Uk to be convicted of illegally hunting during cubbing season – they were training their hounds to kill by setting them on fox cubs.

Lee Moon, Press spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association, stated: “We are pleased that Staffordshire police are taking this incident so seriously. The Meynell and South Staffs have previous form for illegal hunting and this blatant law breaking must not go unpunished. Well done to the sabs present, who despite not being able to stop the kill, managed to secure the body of the fox to be used as evidence so that hopefully it won't have died in vain.”

For those of you who were following the HSA Seal Guardian Campaign, which spanned 2014 and 2015, and was the HSA's longest running full-time campaign being a daily operation covering six months last summer, we have an amazing update to share:

The Scottish Government have finally formally announced a THREE YEAR BAN on coastal wild salmon netting!

This is a major victory because with no nets in the water, Usan Salmon Fisheries aka the Scottish Wild Salmon Company can't claim to need to shoot seals in order to protect those salmon nets! Usan have been shooting seals for four decades, so this truly is a landmark victory! History has been made! And there's more!

The coastal netting ban means that wild salmon can now travel up the east coast without running the gauntlet of 14 nets in a ten mile stretch of coast to get to their home rivers for breeding. Tens of thousands of salmon will be saved! Also, as was well documented by us, protected sea birds using their traditional breeding and nesting grounds in and around the Montrose Basin were routinely drowning in the salmon nets, as a result of their feet or wings getting caught. They can now exist in peace, free from the life-threatening hazards that were the coastal salmon nets! So this win is a huge result for the seals, the sea birds and the salmon!

The Scottish Government were under pressure from the EU to halt coastal salmon netting, because salmon numbers are at an all-time low. They were talking about making a decision within the next five years. With evidence gathered by us and submitted to relevant authorities and stakeholders, along with awareness-raising and media interested created, we have forced change now! This leaves Usan with the creel pot side of their business.

Since the salmon season closed last autumn, expecting repercussions for their behaviour (they were charged with netting out of permitted hours, and also copped a huge fine from the HMRC for not declaring all their catch) they have increased the creel pot side of the business in lieu of their lost salmon business. They have increased the number of pots they usually sink ten-fold, going after the crabs and lobsters of the east coast. They have tried to argue that they still need to shoot seals, this time to protect their creel pots, but so far have not been issued a licence for that.

It is ridiculous, as seals can not rip into creel pots. But as Kevin Pullar himself said, they just "love killing seals", so it doesn't surprise us that they will try any excuse to continue to do so. We will of course fight them all the way on obtaining a licence to shoot to protect creel pots. The only other interest they have now is the Ythan River fishing rights. A well-established seal population hauls out at the Ythan, and there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to have this haul-out site awarded protection. Results for this are imminent.

We have more legal stuff against the Pullars of Usan and their pals in the pipeline, and will update on these cases when able. We continue to work with various agencies, stakeholders and locals to secure the best permanent result for the wildlife of Scotland's coasts.

On Tuesday 26th Jan West Midland Hunt Saboteurs again filmed the Atherstone hunt illegally chasing and killing a fox after meeting in Osbaston, Leicestershire.

Hunt sabs noticed a member of the hunt was off their horse near a hedge with the hounds near a stream. One of the hounds still had the recently killed fox in its mouth. The body was recovered by saboteurs and has been taken for an autopsy.

Immediately after the kill Huntsman Stuart Barton carried on hunting as if nothing had happened, even hunting the hounds on when they got on to the scent of another fox.

Full footage has not yet been released as it has been presented to Leicestershire police.

Lee Moon, spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association, stated:

“It is hard to believe there is a hunt more blatantly flouting the law than the Atherstone. Despite being consistently filmed chasing foxes by West Mids sabs they are able to get away with it due to a lack of action by Leicestershire police. Tax payers from Leicestershire must feel slightly perturbed that in times of austerity their money is being used to fund private security for this bunch of law breakers.

We ask Simon Cole, Chief Constable for Leicestershire police, for an enquiry into the policing of the Atherstone hunt and why they aren’t being prosecuted for their law breaking. If it isn’t institutional bias on the part of Leicestershire police then it is particular officers who need disciplining.”

On Saturday the Atherstone Hunt spent all day chasing numerous foxes including through peoples back gardens whilst assaulting two of the people trying to save them: